Richard Strauss completed the symphonic poem "A Hero's Life" (Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40) in 1898. It is a controversial work in music history. Some calls this work as the pinnacle of his symphonic composition, after which, Strauss's creative focus went into opera. The hero in this work is said to be an autobiography of Strauss himself.

This thesis introduces Strauss's life and musical style and discusses in detail the interpretation of "A Hero's life", and introduces Strauss's life and musical style. It is divided into five chapters: Chapter 1, Introduction, including research motivation and methods. The second is an overview of Strauss's life and the style of his work. The third is the music analysis of "A Hero's Life". The fourth is an interpretation from a conductor's viewpoint. The fifth is the conclusion, summarizing the research result of " A Hero's Life" for future researchers' reference.